POTOMAC RAIL NEWS POTOMAC CHAPTER, NATIONAL RAILWAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY P.O. BOX 235, KENSINGTON, MARYLAND 20895-0235 AUGUST 2021

A DAY IN THE FOREST. On June 7, 2021, Alex and Teresa rode the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad, which is located on the western outskirts of Yosemite National Park two miles south of Fish Camp, California. Shay No. 10, a three-truck engine constructed by the Lima Locomotive Works of Lima, Ohio, in 1928, powered their trip. Photo by: Alex Mayes

VIRTUAL MEETING: Tuesday, August 17, 2021, at 8PM VIA ZOOM

ZOOM PROGRAM: “2020 Railroading on Cape Cod” Doug Scott will present a digital multimedia PowerPoint presentation set to music so Doug will talk only at the beginning and end of the presentation. Railroads covered will be Mass Coastal freight, Bay Colony freight, New Bedford, Cape Cod Central passenger trains and the summer Boston to Hyannis Cape FLYER weekend passenger service. See page 2 for more details.

NEXT MEETING DATE: September 21, 2021

DEADLINE FOR SEPTEMBER ISSUE: September 3, 2021. Send news items to Clay Moritz, Editor, Potomac Rail News, at [email protected]

INFO ON CHAPTER ACTIVITIES: http://potomacnrhs.org/

ADDRESS MEMBERSHIP INQUIRIES TO: Rick Davidson, Membership Agent, 2908 Breezy Terrace, Alexandria, VA 22303-2401 [email protected] POTOMAC RAIL NEWS AUGUST 2021 PAGE 2 OF 12

THE CHAPTER FAMILY If you know of a Chapter Member who is sick, has lost a loved one, or has a new birth in the family, please contact the editor at: [email protected]

THIS MONTH’S CHAPTER PROGRAM. The Cape Cod Chapter, NRHS, runs the former New Haven Railroad West Barnstable, MA, train Station as an active station and museum, which is open Saturdays when the Cape Cod Central Canal Excursion Train stops on its way to Bourne. Emphasis will be on scenes around the station. Included are some scenes of maritime traffic in the Cape Cod Canal. Locations covered will include trackside scenes between Hyannis, Buzzards Bay, and Wareham, Massachusetts, and a bit of the Watuppa track in New Bedford. Doug Scott has been a member of the Cape Cod Chapter NRHS, for 35 years and has served as Chapter President. He is currently an NRHS District 1 Director.

THIS MONTH’S POTOMAC CHAPTER MEETING will again use Zoom video conferencing software at 8PM on August 17. See below for the information required to connect. If you have any questions contact: Bill Holdsworth (301) 762-9376 (CONTACT BY PHONE ONLY THE NIGHT OF THE MEETING) or [email protected]

Topic: Potomac Chapter membership meeting Time: Aug 15, 2021 08:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88257156739?pwd=RTdrNDNBS0VtT0ltSXF6YzhsMk5UZz09 Meeting ID: 882 5715 6739 Passcode: 850929 One tap mobile +13017158592,,88257156739#,,,,*850929# US (Washington DC) +19292056099,,88257156739#,,,,*850929# US (New York) Dial by your location +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) Meeting ID: 814 7249 8366 Passcode: 503221 One tap mobile +13017158592,,81472498366#,,,,*503221# US (Washington DC) +13126266799,,81472498366#,,,,*503221# US (Chicago)

FUTURE POTOMAC CHAPTER MEETINGS. The Board of Directors has decided to continue holding our monthly membership meetings via Zoom video conferencing software through November. This change is due to the rise in the number of COVID cases. The Board also postponed our Chapter Banquet, which was scheduled for September 25, until next spring. The Directors also want to explore the feasibility of holding hybrid meetings, with both an in-person and online Zoom component. If the technical issues can be resolved, we will schedule in-person meetings to run concurrently with the Zoom meetings. POTOMAC RAIL NEWS AUGUST 2021 PAGE 3 OF 12

NEW EMAIL ADDRESS. Rick Davidson, Potomac Chapter Membership Agent has a new email address, which is active and located at the bottom of page 1 of this PRN.

RAIL NEWS

HERE COMES The ICE CREAM SPECIAL! The Western Maryland Scenic Railroad has sweetened the deal for families and kids with its new Ice Cream Train ride. Wesley Heinz, interim CEO of the railroad, said the new excursion is one of the recent changes made in an effort to increase ridership. “People in the community are very excited about the future and they’ve been very supportive of the more aggressive and strategic way we are approaching things now,” said Heinz, who was hired on June 10. In addition to the new ride, Heinz said track maintenance between Cumberland and Frostburg is taking place while repair work continues on the No. 1309 steam engine. While maintenance continues, Heinz added a short excursion for families with young children called the Ice Cream Train. “On July 2 and July 16 we ran our first and second Ice Cream Train, which is new to WMSR. Both trips sold out and the July 30 train is almost completely sold out,” Heinz said. “You get the ice cream as you board the train,” he said. “With 70% of the passengers under 10, their attention span is shorter so we make a quick run up to the Narrows and go over the high bridge and then come back into town. In August we will move the Ice Cream Train to Frostburg and we will run out of Frostburg on the night of August and 20.” TRACK IMPROVEMENTS, TIE REPLACEMENT: Heinz said repair work has been progressing this summer on the 16 miles of aging track between the Station and the Frostburg Depot. WMSR officials reported in March that hundreds of ties needed replacement on the line. Heinz has enlisted the help of some of his contacts in New England. “A week before last we had an all-volunteer group of guys come down from Maine from the Bridgton and Saco River Railroad Museum and from the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum, which of course is where I am also the Executive Director at,” he said. “They came down and they completely replaced railroad ties and over 400 feet of rail.” Heinz said the volunteers came back the next weekend to continue the work. “It shows we have other railroad entities who believe in the community enough that they come down here and volunteer their time to make sure that we are successful which is a big win.” The track, according to Heinz, has not had any significant repair work in more than 50 years. He said some of the most “crucial” mainline track repair work is being done by Rhinehart Railroad Construction Inc. “They specialize in railroad right-of-way maintenance and construction and they have been making adjustments to the track a little at a time over the last several months. So some of the most offending areas have been alleviated so that has also been a really big win. The railroad crossing at Cash Valley Road is also being replaced by a program that operates through the State of Maryland. That should be completed before the end of the fall. “There is going to have to be some new light fixtures and things for signaling so it is safer. At the approaches, you will be POTOMAC RAIL NEWS AUGUST 2021 PAGE 4 OF 12 able to see, from a great distance, that the railroad crossing is active, which is a big win.” Heinz said the WMSR is not prevented from running to Frostburg and expects those excursions to resume before September. BALDWIN NO. 1309 STEAM ENGINE: Heinz said work continues on the massive Baldwin No. 1309, which WMSR officials said will be a huge draw once operational. He said it has been difficult finding parts due to the high demand and worker shortage. “The engine, the firebrick, is one of the commodities we’ve been waiting for. It has been packaged for shipment. We actually had to get it out of Colorado. A lot of scenic railroads use a refractory company out of Colorado,” he said. “Firebrick is the lining material, which helps with conducting in the fire box and protects the crown sheet,” Heinz said. “It’s a common material in oil and gas fired boilers. What firebrick (that was in No. 1309) was long since broken down so we had to redo all that. That is one of the last major items that has to be shipped in.” Heinz said he his hopeful No. 1309 will be operational in the fall. “It doesn’t seem like we are too far off. We are getting closer every day.” “The steam crew is busy making sure the regular (diesel) train runs but more importantly I’ve given them a more quantifiable time to get out there and get it finished. I think they are really on the right track to getting there. I feel very positive about it.” ‘ENERGY, IMPROVED MORALE.’ Heinz appeared at a meeting of the Cumberland Mayor and City Council at City Hall. “The enthusiasm and the energy we are seeing at the scenic railroad is something that is great to see,” Mayor Ray Morriss said. “With the Ice Cream Train, I think people will see the scenic railroad is truly an asset to them. In addition, we will see the Polar Express coming back as well.” City Councilman Eugene Frazier said he has been pleased with the “energy and improved morale” at the WMSR. Heinz said he helped turn around the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad and hopes to do the same in Cumberland. “What I’m trying to facilitate is taking the things that worked successfully in Maine and implement them here in Cumberland,” he said. “In Maine, they were spiraling downward. The Maine Narrow Gauge parallels where the WMSR is today in many, many ways.” Heinz is not new to Cumberland. He began coming here four years ago to help work on No. 1309. “In 2017, I had the opportunity to come here and start working on the steam locomotive that will hopefully serve as a catalyst to reinvigorate the WMSR. The railroad was such a great idea 35 years ago and I think there is plenty of interest in it for the future.” POLAR EXPRESS ON TRACK. Heinz said the railroad will also run the popular Polar Express excursion beginning November 26 and will be releasing scheduling and tickets “in the next couple days.” (Cumberland Times-News)

CRESSON NS SHOP CLOSED. Seven Norfolk Southern employees are without jobs following the closing of the local mechanics shop in . Norfolk Southern’s Cresson Engine House closed at the end of July. “This decision is part of our long-term business plans to evolve our operations to best serve the needs of our customers,” NS Media Relations Manager Jeff DeGraff said in an email. “We remain committed to the region and serving the needs of our POTOMAC RAIL NEWS AUGUST 2021 PAGE 5 OF 12 customers.” DeGraff said the positions of seven mechanical employees will be eliminated. It was the company’s second series of layoffs in July after 86 employees working in the mechanical department at the Juniata Locomotive Shop were laid off on July 9. Another 14 vacant positions also were eliminated at Juniata. (Altoona Mirror)

STEAM RETURNING TO THE VALLEY. Nickel Plate Steam Locomotive No. 765 returns to Cuyahoga Valley for Steam in the Valley on September 3, 10-12 and 17-19. Each year, except for 2020, Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad works with the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society to bring Nickel Plate Road No. 765 to Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Tickets for Steam in the Valley went on sale July 20. For more information: www.CVSR.org/steam (Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad)

A HAPPY ENDING. The Illinois Cental Observation Car “Mardi Gras” Is for Sale. For most of the life of the Norfolk Southern Steam Excursions, the trailing car on the train was the round-end lounge observation car #3305 “Mardi Gras.” This car was owned by the Roanoke Chapter, NRHS. In 2010, Roanoke NRHS sold “Mardi Gras” to Permian Basin Railways, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Iowa Pacific Holdings. “Mardi Gras” was bought for excursion service on Iowa Pacific’s subsidiary, the San Luis & Rio Grande Railway. Iowa Pacific Holdings repainted the car from Norfolk & Western’s Tuscan red to its original Illinois Central paint scheme. Legend has it that this (Will she be preserved or cut-up?) was the car in which the song “The City of New Orleans” was written. Rio Grande Scenic Railroad ceased excursion operations in 2018 following a wildfire that damaged some of their facilities. In 2019, this fire resulted in the San Luis & Rio Grande Railway entering Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Presently, “Mardi Gras” is baking in the sun in Southern Colorado awaiting a buyer. All Bluegrass Railroad Museum needs is for a billionaire to step forward and purchase the car and then let us run her behind ICG 7738. “Mardi Gras” awaits her fate. Will she be preserved or cut-up? (Bluegrass Railroad Museum - Connecting Rod) FROM RAILWAY PRESERVATION NEWS’ FACEBOOK PAGE: Posted by: Alexander D. Mitchell IV on July 21, 2021: The Reading and Northern has purchased eleven passenger coaches of various types of seating. A passenger coach auction occurred over the first half of 2021 in Colorado. Many of the coaches have an amazing history, previously running on famous trains including the “City of New Orleans,” the “Crescent,” and the “Twentieth Century Limited.” There are several types of seating: coach, dome, parlor, open air, and lounge. The Reading and Northern has renumbered the majority of the equipment to better fit into the POTOMAC RAIL NEWS AUGUST 2021 PAGE 6 OF 12 current numbering system of the Passenger Department. Some of these coaches are unlike any the Reading and Northern has ever owned over 36 years in the passenger business. More information about the equipment moves from Colorado to Pennsylvania will be given on our Facebook pages. Many of these cars will be accessible to the general public for years to come. Passenger ridership records continue to be broken through spring and early summer of 2021. All eleven cars will make a great addition to our expanding operations for years to come. Over the next few weeks we will be posting more information and pictures of each of our new coaches so stay tuned for those! SUBSEQUENT POSTS ON RAILWAY PRESERVATION NEWS’ FACEBOOK PAGE: TENTATIVE ID LIST SO FAR, PULLED FROM VARIOUS SOURCES: 1. 59: full dome built by Pullman-Standard, Lot 6908, Plan 7635 built in 1952 as Milwaukee Road 59, ex- 9383. Iowa Pacific picked up full dome 59 in 2012 from Washington Central/Columbia Basin - Spirit of Washington 108 carried named City of Renton. Car was used on Iowa Pacific's Santa Cruz & Monterey Bay operation in California. 2. 448: ex-NYC stainless lightweight diner, recently briefly leased by BNSF. 3. 2904: Ex-IC heavyweight coach 4. 3305 is the ex-IC Mardi Gras round-end observation from the Roanoke Chapter NRHS, and famous from NS steam excursions. 5. 3378 "Calumet Club" is ex-WICT, ex-IC, rebuilt to parlor/obs/lounge in 1952 from a heavyweight coach. 6. 1056 is heavyweight open-window rebuild Lookout Mountain and famous from Southern steam excursions thru early NS years. 7. 1062: Heavyweight coach (1062 is formerly SL&RG 5067 and before that Adirondack Scenic Railroad 5067 and Canadian National 5067) 8. 1066-1068 are all former Southern modernized heavyweight coaches, used in the Southern excursions as well. 9. 1125: Ex-VIA/CN lightweight P-S duplex sleeper "Ellerslie" 10. NYC 448 - RBMN 1166 is a 1947 Budd stainless steel 44-seat diner.

TEAM WORKS TO ARCHIVE EBT DOCUMENTS. Old records, some dating back to the early years of the East Broad Top Railroad, are being archived at Rockhill thanks to funding made available by the Friends of the East Broad Top (FEBT) and an anonymous donor. Records and other documents discovered in some of the EBT buildings and main office are being assembled for future preservation. The scope of this important archival project at the East Broad Top Railroad is to archive the thousands of railroad-related relics and preserve them for future research. Returning the narrow gauge East Broad Top Railroad to full service is only one aspect of the multi-phase EBT restoration and rehabilitation project. Identifying and preserving other important artifacts of the National Historic Landmark is equally important. To that end, the EBT Foundation Inc. announced recently that an archives team has begun work at the Rockhill-based railroad. Julie Rockwell of Huntingdon, an independent archivist and avid EBT fan, along with Juniata College history major Samuel Bellin, are busy reviewing and preparing thousands of EBT records, maps, and other important documents related to the railroad’s history. POTOMAC RAIL NEWS AUGUST 2021 PAGE 7 OF 12

“It’s a real honor to be a part of the archiving project,” remarked Rockwell, whose late father, Joseph Fether, worked in both the anthracite and bituminous coal mines of Pennsylvania. “There is so much history associated with the railroad that extends beyond the narrow-gauge rails and the records we are now looking at identifies with many different industries and communities along the EBT.” Bellin, a native of Pittsburgh who will be a senior this fall at Juniata College, mirrored Rockwell’s sentiments. “The EBT is living history we need to preserve, and I am pleased to be a part of the project.” Funding for the valuable archiving project is helping to fund the work of the professional archivist and an intern who are spending this summer at Rockhill creating a plan to catalog and preserve the EBT’s vast archival holdings. Rockwell and Bellin have been working for several weeks on the 10-week project that will set the stage for further archiving duties. So far, the team has looked through a countless number of the EBT’s archival holdings stored away at the Orbisonia Station, dating back to the early days of the coal-hauling railroad. “We are looking at a three to five-year plan, which we are developing for review by the EBT Foundation,” noted Rockwell. “There is so much more records and documents to look at, thousands more!” In addition to railroad company documents, the archivist and intern are studying material associated with the coal company, mining area of the Broad Top, the iron and brickmaking industries that depended on the railroad for transportation, and so much more. “I am honored to be a part of this historic moment in building the program and stewarding the archives,” proclaimed Rockwell. “My goal is to eventually make these collections discoverable and accessible by using digital age curation strategies.” Continued Rockwell, “Sharing the EBT’s history will put its current operations in a richer context while helping sustain the memory of the railroad’s people and communities.” The first phase of the long-term project involves estimating the size and condition of the railroad’s holdings. Rockwell pointed out that three fireproof brick vaults within the Orbisonia Station are filled from the floor to the top of a 12-ft. ceiling with property records, ledger books, maps, and drawings from the EBT’s engineering office. Also being examined are dozens of file cabinets and blueprint drawers that hold a variety of different documents. A wide range of communications from the late Roy Wilburn, long-time operating Vice President of the EBT and other employees of the railroad are just a few examples of the materials being studied. Other communications involve the late Nick Kovalchick, who acquired the railroad when it ended common carrier service in 1956, followed by the railroad’s transformation to tourist service starting in 1960. Drawings by the EBT’s Chief of Engineering, F.M. Butler, as well as railroad and equipment reports, coal traffic, locomotive inspection reports, and much more are among the interesting “finds” identified by Rockwell and Bellin. To date, the archives team has packed up more than two dozen bins of documents that were stored away in other EBT buildings, including machine shop employees’ time slips, assorted shop invoices, inventories of the EBT’s storehouse and machine tools, and locomotive-maintenance reports—all wrapped in brown paper, tied up with string and labeled in pencil, explained Rockwell. The POTOMAC RAIL NEWS AUGUST 2021 PAGE 8 OF 12 archivist went on to say that the team will be consulting with the FEBT and the EBT Foundation regarding the progress they are making. “For nearly 40 years, the FEBT has worked to preserve every aspect of the EBT and is enthusiastically partnering with the EBT Foundation to undertake the archives initiative,” observed, FEBT President Andy Van Scyoc. “The story the EBT can tell is truly unmatched because of the massive treasure trove of on-site records and documentation that will soon become available to historians and scholars.” Among FEBT activists and others advising Rockwell include Lee Rainey, author of the definitive history of the railroad; Scarlett Wirt, former President of the Washington, D.C. Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society; Jim Tuten, a Juniata College professor of history; and Don Pattison, a retired Pomona College administrator who helped establish the college’s archives program. Responding to the ongoing EBT archives project are several EBT enthusiasts who have donated interesting items back to the railroad, including carbon copies of handwritten EBT train orders from the 1930s all of which are being entered into Rockwell’s new archives database. “The archives show us the key to the hidden history of the EBT, with each document a piece to fill the puzzle,” added Bellin. Once Rockwell has an estimate of how much material the archives hold, she will outline a plan for cataloging and preserving it with the EBT Foundation’s Development Committee deciding how best to raise money to pay for the work. (Bedford Gazette)

HISTORIC STEAM LOCOMOTIVE FINDS NEW HOME. A 150-ton steam locomotive and several artifacts that failed to find a permanent spot in Silicon Valley now have a new home at Niles Canyon Railway, the Pacific Locomotive Association (PLA) announced on July 6th, also marking the organization's 60th Anniversary. The nearly century- old former Southern Pacific Railroad steam locomotive No. 2479, along with a 122- year old roundhouse, turntable, and water tower, is relocating from San Jose to Niles Station, where it will run through Niles Canyon. In a statement, PLA President Henry Baum said, “Both the roundhouse and locomotive are natural additions to our historic railroad collection." SP No. 2479 was built in 1923, and had an "active career pulling commuter trains between San Jose and San Francisco for the Southern Pacific Railroad" until being retired from service in 1956, according to officials. The locomotive was donated to Santa Clara County two years later and has undergone more than 5,000 volunteer hours of restoration work per year since 1989, with approximately 80% of the effort to date completed. The roundhouse was constructed in San Jose at the turn of the century (1899) and used for housing and maintaining steam locomotives. A large water tower and 80-foot turntable are also included with the roundhouse. Together, all three structures served as maintenance facilities for Southern Pacific trains and locomotives until the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, when the roundhouse was declared structurally unsound. In 1994, Southern Pacific donated the roundhouse for a proposed museum. San Jose-based California Trolley and Railroad Corporation (CTRC), which has maintained the locomotive and structures for several decades, said “moving these important historical artifacts to the Niles Canyon Railway enables our organizations to better preserve the rail history of POTOMAC RAIL NEWS AUGUST 2021 PAGE 9 OF 12 the Bay Area and to honor the thousands of hours donated by our volunteers." "This partnership is an ideal opportunity to preserve these irreplaceable resources for future generations,” said CTRC President Ken Middlebrook. According to Baum, PLA's master plan "has always included a roundhouse facility in Niles." “Both the roundhouse and locomotive are natural additions to our historic railroad collection," Baum said. "We will immediately begin to develop our Niles site focused around these incredible assets." A topological survey of the Niles site will be conducted before starting design work, and the PLA will "aggressively search for the necessary grants and corporate sponsorships necessary to get this development project completed," Baum added. The monumental task of dismantling, moving, and reassembling the giant locomotive will be managed by Steam Services of America, with moving costs funded by Santa Clara County over a three-year period. Once received, all of the historical assets will be transferred to the PLA. The transfer also includes a 65-ton acquired from Kaiser Permanente Cement, and necessary tools and equipment to restore and maintain Locomotive No. 2479. (Pleasanton Weekly)

GHOST HUNTING CAN BE DANGEROUS. The Buffalo News reports a 35-year-old Kenmore, NY, woman was injured July 31st during a ghost-hunting expedition at Buffalo’s landmark Central Terminal railroad station. The woman fell 15 to 20 feet through a substation roof near the back of the station property while exploring the facility without permission. Police received a call about the accident about 10:30 p.m., and the woman was transported by ambulance to a hospital for treatment of multiple injuries. A male companion was uninjured. Police said no charges have been filed. The station, built in 1929 but last used for trains in 1979, has gained a reputation among ghost hunters for once being the site of a 6-hour live broadcast by the Ghost Hunters TV series. A nonprofit group which maintains the building and hosts events there has also held ghost tours. (Trains News Wire)

KCS RESPONDS TO CP APPEAL TO SHAREHOLDERS. Kansas City Southern has fired back at Canadian Pacific’s appeal to its stockholders to turn down the proposed merger with Canadian National, saying those stockholders should focus on the fact CN’s offer is worth $50 more per share than the last CP proposal. CP filed a proxy statement asking KCS shareholders to vote against the CN deal on July 29th, saying uncertainty over Surface Transportation Board approval of a voting trust meant the deal was not in the shareholders’ interest. In a statement released on August 2nd, KCS notes that CP has not upped its original $275-per-share offer, and passed on a period of five business days to do so after CN made its bid. CP “did not make any new proposal in its most recent filing,” the statement notes. “Nor did it commit to making one in the future. … Shareholder approval of the CN transaction best positions KCS to deliver superior value to our shareholders as soon as possible.” KCS stockholders will vote on the CN offer in a special meeting on August 19th. KCS proxy materials can be found at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission website. (Trains News Wire) POTOMAC RAIL NEWS AUGUST 2021 PAGE 10 OF 12

STB ACCEPTS CSX TRANSPORTATION’S PAN AM MERGER APPLICATION. The Surface Transportation Board has accepted CSX Transportation’s beefed up Pan Am Railways merger application and established a schedule for reviewing the deal that would expand CSX’s presence in New England. If the Board approves the deal, Pan Am would become a fallen flag on May 1, 2022. Comments on the merger are due to the Board by August 27th, with final briefs due January 2, 2022. The Board will hold a public hearing on the deal if necessary. The merger application CSX submitted to the Board on July 1 was its third. When CSX announced it would acquire Pan Am Railways in November 2020, it sought to have the Pan Am deal treated as a minor transaction that would get a streamlined STB review. It submitted a minor merger transaction application in February, but the Board in March determined the deal was a “significant” transaction requiring a more thorough review process. CSX submitted its significant merger application in April. But on May 26 the Board rejected the filing, noting that CSX’s market analysis did not meet the Board’s regulatory standards. CSX submitted a much more detailed filing on July 1. The railroad initially had proposed a March 2022 date for closing of the Pan Am deal. CSX executives have said they remain confident that the Board will ultimately approve the acquisition of Pan Am. On July 30th, the proposed merger gained additional support from Maine Governor Janet Mills as well as four shippers, two municipalities, and one member of the New York State Assembly who all filed letters with the STB backing the deal. Governor Mills wrote to the STB of her strong support for the merger, saying, “This transaction has the potential to bring substantial benefits to Maine. The State of Maine relies on rail traffic to deliver goods and support our economy. If the transaction is approved, CSX has indicated that it will make upgrades to track and locomotives to provide improved service, extend positive train control on Amtrak’s Downeaster, and make other improvements to the rail network. These changes would benefit Maine businesses and shippers that rely on freight rail to ship products and goods and positively impact passenger rail service.” On the municipal level, Saratoga County (NY) Administrator Steve Bulger highlights in his letter that freight railroads are oftentimes “the lifeblood” for communities with large and small businesses relying on the services they provide to connect with markets across the country and around the world. A key benefit of the proposed transaction, Bulger notes, is that CSX will “enhance competition through lower costs, better service and improved access” to the rail network Mechanicville (NY) Mayor Dennis Baker sees the deal as a way to increase freight rail service to his community and capitalize on the financial resources CSX brings to the table to undertake “much needed infrastructure improvements” across Pan Am’s rail network. Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, a member of the New York State Assembly from New York’s 113th Assembly District, encouraged the STB to fairly review the transaction, stating in her letter: “I support this proposed acquisition and believe my constituents will benefit from its adoption.” (Trains News Wire) POTOMAC RAIL NEWS AUGUST 2021 PAGE 11 OF 12

ARBITRATION DECISION WILL REQUIRE UNIONS TO NEGOTIATE ON TRAIN CREW SIZE. A Federal arbitration decision has ruled that train crew size is subject to collective bargaining, a major win for railroads and loss for unions in the railroads’ effort to reduce crews to a single person. The National Railway Labor Conference — representing Class I railroads — had sought to include crew size in its current national labor negotiations, and indicated their intent to seek to make conductor a “ground-based” position. Unions have contended crew size should be negotiated at the local, rather than national, level. But the 2-1 decision issued on July 28th says the matter is, in fact, a subject for national bargaining. The Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Union’s Transportation Division (SMART-TD) says in a statement on its web page that while the decision requires bargaining “it does not mandate any particular outcome in the process. SMART-TD remains committed to protecting the jobs of today, as well as securing the jobs of the future.” In addition to the bargaining process, crew size remains a subject of regulation at the state and national level. Several states have passed laws requiring two-person crews; a national two-person crew provision has also been the subject of Democratic legislation in Congress. (Trains News Wire)

CUMBRES & TOLTEC RESTORES FULL-ROUTE TRAIN RIDE OPTION. The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad resumed full-length train rides on its 64-mile route between Chama, NM, and Antonito, CO, on July 31st, for the final portion of the 2021 season. For most of the season, COVID-19 restrictions have prevented the railroad from offering trips in which passengers ride the entire Denver & Rio Grande Western narrow gauge line by train in one direction, then return by bus to their starting point. Operations this year have seen passengers ride from either Chama or Antonito to a midpoint lunch stop at Osier, then return by train to their starting point, meaning they could only travel half the route. Now, the bus option is returning, although the current all-train trip will continue to be offered. Passengers who have already purchased tickets are being offered the option to reschedule to the full-route, train-and-bus round-trip, depending on space availability, for an additional $17.50. Visit the www.cumbrestoltec.com for information and to book tickets. (Trains News Wire)

METRO SERVICE CHANGES. Metrorail is extending service to midnight seven days a week starting July 18th, giving customers more time to ride as in-person work and nightlife resume for many people. Metrorail’s hours were cut last March as the pandemic decreased ridership. On weekends, riders will be able to travel on Metrorail for a flat $2 fare for each trip, rather than the current distance-based fare. Sunday train service will begin an hour earlier, at 7 a.m. The extended operating hours are the first in a package of service changes passed by Metro’s Board of Directors in June, adding more all-day rail service and creating high-frequency bus routes. More bus and rail service changes will follow in September. Trains will run more frequently all-day, with service on Friday and Saturday running until 1AM. POTOMAC RAIL NEWS AUGUST 2021 PAGE 12 OF 12

POTOMAC RAIL NEWS is published monthly by the Potomac Chapter, National Railway Historical Society, Inc., P.O. Box 235, Kensington, Maryland 20895-0235 Website: www.potomacnrhs.org * * * * * Potomac Chapter Officers & Directors: President...... Gordy Bjoraker (301) 577-5061 Vice-President...... John Sery (301) 431-0088 Secretary...... Bill Holdsworth (301) 762-9376 Treasurer...... Jay Creswell (703) 255-3258 Directors...... Carl Franz, Robert Dixon-Gumm, Stephen Sery, Penny Dixon-Gumm National Representative.Rick Davidson (703) 768-2831 Membership...... Rick Davidson (703) 768-2831 Historian...... Bob Cohen (301) 424-3228 Editor, PRN...... Clay Moritz (301) 933-3618 Program Committee: Alex Mayes, John Sery

Contributors: Alex Mayes, Glenn Orletsky, Ray Saunders

POTOMAC CHAPTER, NRHS P.O. BOX 235 KENSINGTON, MD. 20895-0235

FIRST CLASS